Leadership
2022-2023
A MESSAGE FROM
Our Board Chair and Head of School
At Convocation for the 2022-2023 school year, we spoke of the importance of stories in our individual lives as well as the power of stories to bond communities together. It was the beginning of our first school year in our new positions as stewards of this institution, and from the sea of new and returning faces on Herrick Quad that morning to June’s Commencement on Frank Field (featuring alumnae Thembisa Mshaka ’88, a creative artist and executive whose speech, in a wonderful first for Westridge, was punctuated by songs played by DJ Monalisa!), what a beautiful year of stories we had at Westridge.
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Our new Permaculture Garden took root, along with students’ knowledge of the systems of water, soil, ecology, and energy that sustain humans and all living organisms. Discovery Week returned in a reimagined form, now tied more closely to curriculum and with all Upper School students ensured an international travel experience. A Math Center opened following the success of the Writing Center. She Kills Monsters and Matilda delighted audiences. Alumnae affinity groups expanded. Work in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice moved into a new phase that emphasizes personal and interpersonal
Valerie Rubio Lemmon '92
Chair, Board of Trustees
Andrea Kassar
Head of School
work and restorative practices. Westridge Advanced Courses introduced a new approach to our most rigorous Upper School courses that focuses on advanced cognitive skills and taps into vast reserves of research and knowledge about how students learn best. In a significant move for our physical campus, we purchased a property adjacent to campus that will allow us to expand our learning spaces in coming years.
Even though they only scratch the surface of life at Westridge last year, these moments weave together quite a story for our school! And as shared moments, they cement the bonds of our community.
This year we’ve felt the power of those bonds. You demonstrate them in so many ways, including attendance at student and alumnae events, volunteering, gestures of gratitude to faculty & staff, as well as through your financial support, which we report on each year in our report on giving.
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During the 2022-2023 school year, we exceeded our Westridge Fund goal and raised 14% more than the previous year. Endowments also continued to be a priority, with new gifts for the Elizabeth J. McGregor endowed fund for DEIJ, the Forever Fund for financial aid, and the Juanita Jimenez Endowed funds for arts at Westridge. In addition, parents and alumnae helped fund special items such as the junior class rings and additional books for our library.
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As we thought about this report and its theme of advancing the story of our school, we returned to this Dostoevsky quote from Convocation: “But how can you live if you have no story to tell?” Your support of Westridge is a part of your story that you might take for granted, but its impact on the future of Westridge, its students, and the world is meaningful. We are grateful for your support and partnership. You made our first year as head of school and board chair a joyful labor of love.
With gratitude,
2022-2023
Board of Trustees
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Valerie Rubio Lemmon ’92, Board Chair
Mike Burke
Sigrid Burton ’69
Laureen B. Chang
Richard C. Fung
Akila Gibbs
Kirsten L. Hansen ’83
Marc S. Harris
Suzanne D. Icaza
Tina Li Kleindorfer
Richard B. Lord
Jim Lygopoulos
Donald L. Morgan, Ph.D.
John Scott Mulchaey, Ph.D.
Ismael Obregon
Daniel Prince
Elizabeth Russell ’69
Emily Ko Wang ’93
Teri Wilde ’69
Joseph J. Ybarra
Jessica Yang ’10, Alumnae Board Chair
Jessica Yang ’10, Chair
Nicole Rabaudi ’90, Vice Chair
Taelor Bakewell ’11
Michelle Noble Barnett ’90
Zandie Brockett ’05
Taylor Callobre ’08
Shahbano Nawaz ’98
Cassandra Nufable ’12
Monica Oller ’91
Marianne Van Vorst Ryan ’79
Teri Wilde ’69
Melissa Wu ’94
2022-2023
Alumnae Board
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Liz Carlton ’03
Eliza Diop ’10
Alicia Henry ’01
Ann Hazeltine Hyde ’66
Julia Tyson La Grua ’71
Thembisa Mshaka ’88
2022-2023
Executive Committee
Lisa Burke
President
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Allison Reed Dietrick ’93
President-Elect
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Ellen Tsang
Past President
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Angela Rashid
Treasurer
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Alison Molinelli
Assistant Treasurer
Jessica Boskovich
Secretary
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Jessica Connolly
VP Communications
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Arlene Kedikian
VP Upper School
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Rayann Scolnick
VP Middle School
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Stephanie Nava ’90
VP Lower School
Patrick Connor
VP Westridge Fund
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Eliz Lee
SOF Chair
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Erica Rosales
Admissions Liaison